This deck Has been doing well for me, I really like the Brimstone Volley in the deck because it is a no win situation for the opponent. They can either block a creature and take 5 or not and take the five anyways.

Suggestions to the deck would be great.

Borealis

02-16-2012, 05:25 PM

Hmm. Cut Goblin Guide, add Goyf. Seriously though, I've been looking at the various Delver Options (U/R, U/B, Grixis, Caw/Scepter Deviants, RUG), and I'll admit that Brad Nelson has convinced me to play RUG. I think it has the best blend of power, answers, and speed, without sacrificing anything to bad matchups. BUT, if you want to run U/R for funsies, I can dig it.

MirrorMask

10-20-2012, 12:35 PM

The only problem i see, and a serious one, is the lack of brainstorm effects. Of course it doesn't have to do with your list but rather with the stupidity of the ban list.

Phoenix Ignition

10-20-2012, 01:35 PM

Neeeeeecroooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!

And to complain about the ban list. What a community.

ahg113

10-23-2012, 05:48 PM

Hmm, well then... at least the Necro brought the deck to the top of the queue...

I'm interested in this deck and plan to start playtesting soon. I wasn't planning on so heavy a burn theme, but figured the deck belonged here anyway.

Here is the list I'm interested in playing, a pretty standard tempo type deck. Saw a friend play something similar in Legacy, and while the lack of a few free spells or cheap storm type triggers does stink... wanna give it a go anyway.

Thinking of replacing Ancient Grudge with Steel Sabotage. If that's the case, I'd ditch the Misty Rainforest and Breeding Pool for another Island and Desolate Lighthouse. Also, am really considering Magma Jet, cause Scry on a burn spell is better than bad, Rift Bolt is also getting consideration. However, I don't think there's a critical number of burn spells to be effective, hence the counter and draw plan instead.

Cheers,
Eyes cans wins withs this rights?

Phoenix Ignition

10-23-2012, 10:32 PM

Any reason for Nivmagus? Seems fun but I'd hate to get 2 for 1ed by a Path or Abrupt Decay or something similar, and rarely do you want to use his ability.

ahg113

10-24-2012, 04:10 PM

I use the Niv because I opened three boxes and got three Niv's, one shiny.

He's a critter I've enjoyed playing, typically I only use his ability once, and leave him as a 3/4. It would suck to get two'fered, but that's where playskill comes in, not exposing one's self. He's usually the card coming out if I need to put more bounce/counter in the deck. Against other permission type decks though, he's great at getting use out of spells that would've been countered. Gut Shots are a great pay 2, get him out of Bolt range play.

I'm not thrilled with Grim Lavamancer, thinking of changing that to Sowing Salt. Not the best spell, but it can handle Tron, and problem manlands. What do you think?

If you're going for simple "in the face" burn, I'd much rather play Lava Spike over Vexing Devil. It has better synergy with the deck.

Phoenix Ignition

10-25-2012, 03:01 PM

ahg -- Sideboards are hard to really recommend since they're so meta-dependent, but I like Grim Lavamancer against things like Affinity and any other creature swarm deck (white lifegain, tokens, merfolk). Tron and Scapeshift are definitely decks to think about though, so you might want to consider something against them. Sowing Salt isn't my favorite card, they can have extra copies of the land out that you want to kill and completely negate it.

Maindeck, 3 lightning bolt is never the right number, play 4. You might be getting too cute with stuff like Faithless Looting.

Drago-- 4x Shard Volley seems like a lot if you want to ever use Snapcaster. Dismember isn't as good in a deck like this as straight up burn would be, but if you really want some creature kill you could try Searing Blaze. As mentioned, Lava Spike is also very good.

Davran

10-25-2012, 03:38 PM

If you're going for simple "in the face" burn, I'd much rather play Lava Spike over Vexing Devil. It has better synergy with the deck.

I agree here. The most likely scenario is that your Vexing Devil resolves and gets sent on a Path to Exile without doing any damage.

DragoFireheart

10-25-2012, 11:30 PM

I agree here. The most likely scenario is that your Vexing Devil resolves and gets sent on a Path to Exile without doing any damage.

- What's you point? Should we also not use Delver or Tarmogoyf because they can get pathed?

Drago-- 4x Shard Volley seems like a lot if you want to ever use Snapcaster. Dismember isn't as good in a deck like this as straight up burn would be, but if you really want some creature kill you could try Searing Blaze. As mentioned, Lava Spike is also very good.

- I'd replace the Shard Volleys/Dismember with Lava Spikes first. Maybe cut the volleys down to 2 or so.

ahg113

10-26-2012, 11:03 AM

Never a fan of Vexing Devil because it gives the opponent choices I can't control.

For SB options, Smash to Smithereens is a better card than Ancient Grudge and drops the need/desire to splash one green source for flashback purposes.

Agree that LB should be a 4 of, because it is stellar. Sowing Salt is too slow/expensive/non-optimal. Thinking Pithing Needle may be a better option as a catchall.

Keeping with a Nivmagus flavor, Gigadrowse & Ground Rift do these replace Artful Dodge and in what numbers? Is there room for Magma Jet?

Never a fan of Vexing Devil because it gives the opponent choices I can't control.

- For a U/R Sligh deck, either choice is fine. 4 damage for 1 mana or a 4/3 for 1 mana is good, especially in Modern since people will lightning bolt themselves to fetch for shock lands. Besides, if they are killing your Devils with removal, that is removal not being used for Delver or Guide.

Phoenix Ignition

10-27-2012, 12:17 AM

Keeping with a Nivmagus flavor, Gigadrowse & Ground Rift do these replace Artful Dodge and in what numbers? Is there room for Magma Jet?

If you like the storm angle I would honestly just tell you to run Grapeshot. Not only is it going to be better at taking out stupid blockers and so on with your phyrexian mana spells, it can be good when you're in the late game just cantripping for answers. Sadly, you can't blow out eggs or storm with it because it is a sorcery.

You have a lot of 3-ofs in here and while that can be okay I think you aren't going to want some of them. First off I'd get rid of Faithless Looting. You don't have anything to abuse the graveyard (Runechanters doesn't really need it), and it's just card disadvantage. Serum Visions is still the best draw spell in the format for random cantripping, so I'd bump that up to 4.

Artful Dodge seems too cute since you're basically a sligh deck and can be burning out their small blockers and swinging into (and then burning) their big ones. Half of the decks in the format don't play creatures that block so this seems like a dead card. I don't like the reason of "Nivmagus can exile them if it's bad," just because there are a lot of other always good spells to be playing in that slot (just to preempt that reason).

Remand is a huge tempo boost and I'd love to see a full set in there. When it comes down to this cut I'd say you should just cut a Telling time for it. You get the cantrip either way, but this way you disrupt the opponent. Remand is the card I hate to see the most in any fast creature deck.

Lastly I'd probably cut a single Runechanters Pike. The card is pretty good, but drawing a second is never what you want, and it is honestly the most mana intensive part of the deck (you can't even leave mana up till the end of their turn and then use it). I know running 2 in the deck makes the chance of getting 2 rare, but again, you have a lot of good spells you could be playing instead (like another burn spell to remove the chump blockers). I'd fill this 1 slot with another Gut Shot. That card is really cute with Nivmagus, essentially paying 2 to hit the opponent for 2, which is always good. It also screws over things you don't like, like Deathrite Shaman, Bob, Noble Hierarch, and unflipped Delvers. And it even powers the 2 random Grapeshots!

I dig it, very well stated. Not totally sold on Grape Shot, but I understand. Thanks

ahg113

10-27-2012, 11:49 AM

I dig it, very well stated. Not totally sold on Grape Shot, but I understand. Thanks

Quick go around, and Grapeshot is legit. Obviously I would've come up with it by myself, but PI did post it first, so I guess I can share credit with him because it's the half-way decent thing to do. Artful Dodge was too cute sometimes, but I might try to squeeze a copy in because I'm not that good at Magic...

Cheers,
it's fun to have a community work on something

kombatkiwi

11-24-2012, 10:31 AM

Lastly I'd probably cut a single Runechanters Pike. The card is pretty good, but drawing a second is never what you want, and it is honestly the most mana intensive part of the deck (you can't even leave mana up till the end of their turn and then use it). I know running 2 in the deck makes the chance of getting 2 rare, but again, you have a lot of good spells you could be playing instead (like another burn spell to remove the chump blockers). I'd fill this 1 slot with another Gut Shot. That card is really cute with Nivmagus, essentially paying 2 to hit the opponent for 2, which is always good. It also screws over things you don't like, like Deathrite Shaman, Bob, Noble Hierarch, and unflipped Delvers. And it even powers the 2 random Grapeshots!

OP-Man Deathrite Shaman is actually a 1/2, which makes gutshotting it not very effective.

I found thunderous wrath to actually be quite good
the 5 Damage is a lot, you can set them up with telling time and serum visions and if you have them in your opener or you draw them at an awkward time that you can't cast them, you can just loot them away with izzet charm or Lighthouse. (In saying this, telling time is probably one of the worse cards, 2 mana is a lot for a glorified ponder even if it is an instant).

4 Spell Snare is too many. With 8 Cantrips it's probably okay to trim a land, and then cut another land for the 4th steam vents.
Lavamancer does well sometimes but other times he's not great. I would be curious to see how effective vexing devil is, but I think Nivmagus elemental takes the deck in a completely different place that you probably don't want to be. (maindeck phyrexian mana spells and probably grapeshot and/or spells with flashback).
This deck also really wants to play some number of remands.
But overall the deck is strong and very fun to play. I also like that's it's fairly inexpensive